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Showing posts from 2018

Don’t Exchange Your Beauty For Ashes

       The world is preoccupied with beauty, and celebrates it on all fronts. This is a good thing (on the surface)!  Presently, people do all manner of modifications to their bodies to attain what they perceive as beautiful. In man’s quest for beauty, so many things have been pushed out of their natural or original parameters. The designs of things in the world are constantly changing and new ones come up; all to fit the bill of what is deemed beautiful at the time. This goes to show that beauty in this context is not long lasting and is subject to an individual’s perception of what beauty is. In Isaiah 60:3b, God promised us  “…to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…” This means something is wrong with man’s perception of beauty. What man calls ‘beauty’ is actually ‘ash’! Since the beauty of the world is shining, tempting, appealing to the senses, it then follows that for something to be regarded as a beauty, it must be ‘flashy’. Looking at the composition of the word ‘fla

Strange Times…Be Wise

“Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts” (Psalm 90:12).        As the curtain draws over the year 2018, in retrospect, would you say you had lived it well? If the Lord should appear now, oh child of God, would you hear “well done my faithful servant”? Or the very thought of His coming sends chills down your spine? It doesn’t matter how we feel or what we feel, He is COMING BACK and we must be dressed ready for Him! Sadly, these are very strange times that make it very difficult to be prepared for His return. Those that ought to prepare the Bride for the coming of the Groom are either becoming blind, deaf or arrogant. That is why at this time each man must know God for himself: By daily growing in God’s Word in order to be able to discern between good and evil. Beloved, these are strange times and we need the Lord Jesus Christ to teach us to understand the frailty of our lives, so we can live eternally fruitful lives.         As strange

He Cares About EVERYTHING That Concerns You

       “Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, AMP). We live in a world that desires to take God out of all we do. If one can live without having to think of being responsible to the Creator, many will be up for it. Since the Word negates a life without God, there is an upsurge to silence it from as many platforms as the agitators can. Daily we are bombarded with teachings that tell us we can live a life without God watching over our shoulders. Many argue that man has been given the freedom to do whatever he pleases, so long as it does not hurt his fellow humans or contravene the laws of the land. This thought, sadly, have not helped the cause of mankind, rather it has plunged man deeper into acts of unprecedented debauchery.         This manner

A Two Way Street

       Are you going through some difficult times, hard to bear, hard to explain, and you desire strongly, to give up? Please Don’t! The kingdom of hell has released so many depressive and oppressive spirits that make people believe they are unloved and worthless no matter their station in life. This means this onslaught is not limited to a particular class, gender, creed or race.   For many children of God, when faced with certain difficulties of life, we wonder if God is aware of the things we are going through. And if He is aware, why would He let us go through so much pain. Questions like these and many more plague our minds, and if we do not arrest such thoughts through God’s Word, they have the power to push us from our firm stand with the Lord. We may feel we are all alone and words are not enough to help. The truth is, the right words and the right heart are of great help to pull us through because it’s a two way street. Giving our lives to the Lord or the Lord taking hold of

Truly, Who Is Jesus Christ To You?

       “’But you,’ He asked them, ‘who do you say that I am?’” (Matthew 16:15). There are so many arguments for and against the deity of Jesus Christ. Some go as far as arguing that if His Word is true, why are there so many problems in the world? According to this argument, why would a loving God allow His creation to be battered in such a manner? A lady once gave an apt but epic reply to such foolish questions, when she asked, if the devil or any other deity apart from Jesus Christ is god, why haven’t they fixed the troubles of the world? At least if they had, it would go a long way to disprove the deity of Jesus Christ and prove theirs! This same argument raged when Jesus walked the earth with His disciples. The leaders and teachers of the day wanted Him to prove His deity just as He did in the past with the children of Israel in the wilderness, where He provided manna and other countless signs to prove that He is God Almighty. This same mindset is prevalent today. So many pray a

Be Strengthened In Your Inner Man

       The Bible tells us that in the last days difficult times will arise. Difficult because darkness will take over the affairs of people and it will be difficult to walk in holiness and righteousness: “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud…” (2Timothy 3:2a). Jesus Christ came to turn people away from this darkness by showing them the light but: “…People loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed ” (John 3:19b-20).  As a foreshadow of what was to come, the Bible warned us in Isaiah 60:2 – “For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness covers the peoples… ” Praise God! We were not told to sit down and accept it but to stand up and shine the light of God: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you…but the Lord will shine over you and His glory will appear over you” (Isaiah

What Are You Looking For?

       When Jesus was introduced to the world through baptism, John the Baptist went further to tell his followers: “This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me’…When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God’” (John 1:30, 36)! Immediately two of John’s followers heard this, they started following Jesus. This account is heart stirring. So many today have heard of the wonderful accounts of Jesus Christ and how He is able to deliver them from any and every problem they could have; for this reason so many are following Him. If you are a Bible Student, you would realize that following Jesus Christ is not what makes you a true ‘follower’. As humans, there are basic needs that tend to influence our decisions and way of thinking. This was not different then. When Jesus saw the two men following Him, one would have thought that He would be ecstatic! After all He now has two followers. But on the contrary, when He

If You Build It He Will Show Up

       I was listening to two young men argue loudly the other day at a public place. One of them declared that the God of the Bible is a foreign God and should not be worshiped by Africans. According to Him, Africans have surpassed the westerners in worshiping this God, yet their lands and conditions are still impoverished. The other argued that the lands and the conditions of the people are impoverished because they are not following the principles of the said God as they should. Sadly, this deceitful argument that the God of the Bible is not real is gaining ground and producing more unbelieving believers by the day. Those that believe such errors forget that God’s Word is not there to conform to them, but they were created to conform to God’s Word: “For we are His creation – created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).         So many have rewritten God’s word to suit their present beliefs, by arguing

That Provision

      The desire of God is to bless us; and He has made provisions for all we need to live a successful life on this earth. For us to be able to access these provisions as at when we need them, we must draw near to Him: “Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16, GNB). For us to draw near, we must obey every Word that proceeds from Him. We cannot draw near Him if we are walking in disobedience no matter how much we try to do so, because He is Holy: “But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen” (Isaiah 59:2). As children of God, we were chosen purposely to obey Him in all things: “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made holy people by His Spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by His blood” (1Peter 1:2, GNB). Thus, when w

Still On Your Treasure

      The history of a people is documented to teach the living what the past was so they can understand their present, and with the information chart a course for their future. But when the said people choose to rewrite the past, it distorts their present reality, and their projections for the future will be based on lies. No matter how history is distorted in the present, it will surely catch up with the culprit. Likewise the Word of God! The beauty about God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation, is that it is made plain for all to see. The missteps of the past are not covered up but are laid bare for all to see and for those reading to learn the lessons for the now: “Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall” (1Corinthians 10:11-12). If God’s Word is distorted, it will distort the present reality of the culprit, and the future of suc

What Is Your Treasure?

       I was so happy to run into a young brother the other day; happy because he left the fellowship and all efforts to ask him why or to reason with him fell on deaf ears. Eventually he changed his phone number so none in the fellowship could reach him. My heart was truly filled with joy to see him that faithful day in the Mall; and as I tried to engage him, he was very uncomfortable as he was not ready to discuss anything about God. In fact he succinctly told me that he does not have time for God now until he has made some money; then he will return to God! To say I was troubled was an understatement. When I returned home, my heart was heavy and I began to ask God questions concerning the young man. He was such a vibrant brother, always eager to learn; he was even one of the leaders. I was truly troubled!        Then the Lord showed me this Scripture again: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure, buried in a field that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells

Your Standard (Principles) Or His?

       We live in times that many have attested to being one of the dire times in the history of man. Values that humans held for centuries are being turned on their heads. Truth that held communities together is now being contested and its definition is now said to be subjective. Truly, it looks like the whole world is going crazy. Now before we think this is unusual, the Bible says: “The thing that has been – it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been, in the vast ages of time [recorded or unrecorded] which were before us. There is no remembrance of former happenings or men, neither will there be any remembrance of happenings of generations that are to come by those who are to come after them” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11, AMP). Thus, whatever we see now had happened before and will most definitely happen again if the Lord ta

How Has Your Faith affected Your Character?

        “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart’” (1 Samuel 17:7) and “Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16, AMP). The foregoing verses in the Scriptures are a clear warning for us to be mindful of how we spend our time on earth. As sons of God that are waiting for the soon appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot afford to judge things by their appearance, our feelings or experience. It is always important to return to the Master to reveal the essence of things to us before we run with them as they have a way of affecting our character. If not, one will be filled with regret when the Master app

Ponder On Your Answer

       If you are asked right now, at this moment, Who is Jesus Christ to you and why are you following Him, would you have an acceptable answer? Not acceptable to me of course, but acceptable to the Lord, bearing in mind that our approval is not of any man but of God: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God…” (2Timothy 2:15a). Friend, whether we like it or not, we would have to answer these questions truthfully on our life’s journey. Even right now, without you verbally answering, the way you live reveals the answers and points to your proposed eternal destination; proposed because, if the answers should change along the line from the right one, the eternal destination will change as well. However, the desire of God is for us to love Him by obeying ALL His commands, and to live our lives accordingly: “…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).   Such a life declares the glory of G